Engineering Commons^™

Model Of The Effect Of Voltage On Contact Angle In An Electrolytic Cell Reaction, Aaron Essilfie

Reviews, Analyses, and Instructional Studies in Electrochemistry (RAISE)

This paper investigates the hypothesis that the contact angle at the meniscus of an electrode-electrolyte can be altered during a redox reaction through the coupled understanding of electrowetting and capillarity rise. Recent studies in electrowetting have focused on dielectric surfaces but research on contact angle at the electrode-electrolyte surface is lacking. The study employs a basic electrolytic cell. By applying principles of electrowetting and capillary rise the research aims to understand the relationship between applied voltage and contact angle, to advancements in electrochemistry and microfluidics.

Model To Demonstrate Effects Of Mass Transfer And Applied Current In An Electrolytic Cell, George Ankrah

Reviews, Analyses, and Instructional Studies in Electrochemistry (RAISE)

This study investigates the relationship between applied current and resulting cell potential in an electrolytic system, considering the transport of electroactive species. By applying Michael Faraday's laws of electrolysis and the Nernst-Planck equation, the behavior of electroactive species in diffusion-controlled systems with and without stirring is modeled. The plots demonstrate how stirring enhances ion transport and establishes a stable Nernst diffusion layer, affecting the kinetics of electrochemical reactions. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for optimizing electrolysis processes.

Review Of Cyclic Voltammetry Measurements For Uranium In Flinak Molten Salt, Jackson Ivory

Reviews, Analyses, and Instructional Studies in Electrochemistry (RAISE)

The electrochemical behavior of uranium FLiNaK molten salts is explored, focusing on cyclic voltammetry (CV) as a powerful tool for redox characterization and diffusion studies. Through a comprehensive review of recent research, the study highlights the significance of CV in understanding electrode kinetics, material compatibility, and process optimization in molten salt environments. The findings underscore the potential of FLiNaK molten salt reactors in advancing nuclear energy technologies, fuel processing, and waste management strategies. Collaborative interdisciplinary efforts are emphasized to address challenges and accelerate innovation in electrochemical methods for nuclear applications.

Computational Predictions Of Heart Failure Drug Effects On Cardiac Fibrosis, Aaron Gardner

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The extracellular matrix is a complex system surrounding cells that is crucial to all of the cardiovascular system’s functions. Fibrosis is an excessive accumulation (scarring) of the extracellular matrix. Fibrosis is typically a negative event, and the scarring must be reduced in the heart in order to maintain its functionality. Due to this, simulations are run using the software “Netflux” in order to determine the effects of different heart failure drugs on cardiac fibrosis. The drugs that were simulated were an ACE Inhibitor, BAR Beta Blocker, ARB Blocker, and Entresto. These drugs were simulated over 50 hours at three different …

Modeling Sex-Specific Changes In Myocardial Fibrosis, Grace Martin

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Heart disease the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Cardiac fibrosis, or accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins in the heart, can occur after a heart attack and increase the risk for further complications. Current treatments for heart disease do not include extracellular matrix regulators, partly due to the complicated signaling network responsible for the production of these proteins. By using a computational model of the signaling network in cardia fibroblasts, the relationship between particular molecules and downstream extracellular matrix production can be examined.

Biological sex is an important factor for cardiac health and …

Study Of Reactive Distillation Equipment For Eterification Process, Abbos Elmanov, Abdulaziz Bakhtiyorov, Adham Norkobilov, Olimjon Maksudov, Zarif Oripov

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

The purpose of this work is to study the chemical technological processes for eterification processes, and the reactive distillation unit, which carries out the reaction and separation process in one device, was chosen as the object of research. А reаctive distillаtion system is exаmined to produce for the production of Ethyl Acetate (EtAc) viа eterificаtion of acetic acid (HAc) with ethаnol. Optimizаtion methods using sensitivity analysis аre аlso conducted. Cаlculаtion of vаpor liquid equilibrium of the mixture system is done using UNIFАC model. Heat integration from the distillate stream of the column to the acid feed stream and from bottom …

Scale-Up And Measurement Enhancements Of A Biogenerator Bioreactor, Jason J. Glas

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Renewable energies in the form of wind and solar have seen steadfast growth across the world, however the abundance of these technologies that demonstrate short-term variability in power output threatens power grid stability and necessitates the use of fossil fuels for rapid throttling capability. A requirement for large scale energy storage systems becomes necessary and a system based on hydrogen generation, storage, and consumption for electrical grid supply-demand stabilization using a ferric sulfate oxidant is herein explored, named the BioGenerator. As the name implies, the system functions as an indirect microbial fuel cell using a biologically active broth dominated by …

Artificial Neural Network Modeling Applied For Predicting Reformate Yield And Research Octane Number In The Reforming Process, Badiea S. Babaqi, Abdelrigeeb Ali Al-Gathe, Mohd S. Takriff, Hassimi Abu Hasan, Mohammed H. Al-Douh

Hadhramout University Journal of Natural & Applied Sciences

The prediction model of the continuous catalytic regeneration reforming process was developed for expecting the reformate yield and research octane number using an Artificial Neural Network technique (ANN) to improve the process performance. The proposed model includes temperatures, pressures, and hydrogen to hydrocarbon molar ratio as input parameters while the output of the process represents reformate yield and research octane number. The ANN model was carried out to estimate the process behavior based on the Levenberg-Marquardt Algorithm, which included the nine input parameters, two hidden layers (10-5 neurons), and two parameters as network outputs. The results obtained were that the …

Design Of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Solid States In Crystallization Processes, Weizhong Gong

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Crystallization is an important technique to obtain solid-state drugs from solutions. Physicochemical properties of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are determined by crystallization. More than half of the active pharmaceutical ingredients exhibit polymorphism, the phenomenon of chemical species showing more than one unit-cell structure in the solid state. Controlling polymorphism is one of the most important goals during pharmaceutical manufacturing. Nevertheless, the control of polymorphism is sometimes not enough to realize the targeted physicochemical properties. Suitable additives (coformers/salt formers) are explored to generate new multi-component solid phases of poorly soluble/bioavailable active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The design of pharmaceutical cocrystals and …

Molecular Understanding And Design Of Deep Eutectic Solvents And Proteins Using Computer Simulations And Machine Learning, Usman Lame Abbas

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as excellent extractants. A major challenge is the lack of an efficient tool to discover DES candidates. Currently, the search relies heavily on the researchers’ intuition or a trial-and-error process, which leads to a low success rate or bypassing of promising candidates. DES performance depends on the heterogeneous hydrogen bond environment formed by multiple hydrogen bond donors and acceptors. Understanding this heterogeneous hydrogen bond environment can help develop principles for designing high performance DESs for extraction and other separation applications. This work investigates the structure and dynamics of hydrogen bonds in hydrophobic DESs …

Strategies For Process Systems Mapping And Control Based On Operability Analysis, Victor Manuel Cunha Alves

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation aims to develop strategies for process systems engineering (PSE) mapping using models, emerging tools and algorithms motivated by process operability analysis research. Such strategies will be employed to ensure simultaneous design and control of large-scale industrial systems. The emerging tools and techniques in this research include supervised machine learning-based (ML-based) operability mapping, automatic differentiation (AD) for implicit mapping, and the development of a systematic mapping approach for control structure selection using operability analysis. Thus far, the developed operability algorithms either recur to nonlinear programming (NLP) solutions which are computationally expensive or to linearizing the underlying modeling task at …

Modeling Of Amine-Based Co2 Capture Process, Zafar Safarovich Turakulov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

A significant factor influencing climate change is the release of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere as a consequence of human activities such as the combustion of fossil fuels. Climate change can be slowed down by taking action to mitigate industrial-scale CO₂ emissions. Currently, the most advanced technology for capturing CO₂ from industrial flue gases is the post-combustion CO₂ capture based on amine absorption. However, due to the high energy penalties of existing CO₂ capture technologies and insufficient carbon markets, it is necessary to develop methods that compete with these technologies or minimize their …

Robust Gasification Trial Results For A Variety Of Difficult-To-Recycle Packaging-Related Materials, Bruce A. Welt

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Currently, recycling requires nearly absolute sorting of materials to accommodate the limited capabilities of existing recycling infrastructure. Whether a material is “recyclable” depends more on the method of recycling than the material itself. Our dependence upon sorting has limited success of recycling and has stifled our ability to achieve circular economy sustainability with plastic packaging materials. Our dependence upon sorting is rooted in our material-specific recycling processes. However, newer robust recycling processes are commercially available that reduce or eliminate the need to sort waste, and can convert mixed waste into primary feedstock chemicals, such as methanol for subsequent manufacture of …

Microplate-Like Metal Pyrophosphate Engineered On Ni-Foam Towards Multifunctional Electrode Material For Energy Conversion And Storage, Rishabh Srivastava

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

High clean energy demand, dire need for sustainable development, and low carbon footprints are the few intuitive challenges, leading researchers to aim for research and development for high-performance energy devices. The development of materials used in energy devices is currently focused on enhancing the performance, electronic properties, and durability of devices. Tunning the attributes of transition metals using pyrophosphate (P₂O₇) ligand moieties can be a promising approach to meet the requirements of energy devices such as water electrolyzers and supercapacitors, although such a material’s configuration is rarely exposed for this purpose of study.

Herein, we grow …

Assessing The Thermodynamic Potential Of Deep Eutectic Solvents In The Absorption Of Greenhouse Gases Through Computational Methods, Thomas Michael Quaid

Theses and Dissertations

Greenhouse gas (GHG) capture is a fundamental technology in the fight against climate change. Some species of devastating GHGs like fluorinated compounds are released directly to the air from industrial processes. Some GHGs are co-produced in sustainably derived biofuels which require absorptive upgrading. The development of more efficient, cost effective, and environmentally friendly methods of capturing GHG’s from pollutant sources and industrial streams is of utmost importance in the fight against climate change. Deep eutectic solvents have entered the separations stage as potential disruptors to conventional solvent choices for a variety of applications. Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are compounds of …

Electrostatic Effects On Lipid Bilayer Physicochemal Properties And Vesicle Adhesion, Oscar Zabala-Ferrera

Doctoral Dissertations

Lipids are an integral part of cells, being the principal component of the cell membrane, and contributing to the function and regulation of biological processes. Lipid nanoparticles mimicking a cell’s endosomes or exosomes are of particular interest within the pharmaceutical industry for their ability to deliver cargo such as RNA into target cells. The delivery process faces a multitude of challenges, so a rational design approach for vesicles that considers a lipid’s physicochemical contribution to the membrane is desired. To that end, this thesis explores the creation of large area biomembranes along with the development of electromechanical and optical characterization …

Determination Of Oxidative Stability Of Crude And Refined Vegetable Oils By Rancimat, Oybek Zufarov, Kamar Serkayev

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

The oxidative stability of vegetable oils has been introduced as a critical factor that affects on its quality, shelf life, and nutritional value. In this study, the Rancimat method was analyzed for investigation and comparing the oxidative stability of crude and refined vegetable oils. The induction period, representing the time taken for significant oxidative degradation to occur, has been used as a key parameter to evaluate the oxidative stability. The oxidative stability of different types of vegetable oils, including sunflower, rapeseed, soybean, and cottonseed oil, was studied at various stages of processing: water degummed and neutralized oil. The induction period …

Measuring Of Thermal Conductivity And Heat Capacity Of Different Papers And Heat-Sealing Process Of Papers With A Polymer Layer, Amenah Khalaf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Packaging is an important and safe way to protect our food and other things through transportation, but the use of plastic based packaging is causing issues with plastic pollution. To replace plastic packaging with a paper-based option that has a barrier coating, good heat sealing will be needed to be a drop-in replacement. While much as been studied on the heat sealing of polymer layers, little has been reported around the heat sealing of paper that has a polymeric barrier coating.

Experiments were conducted to characterize the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of paper as a function of press pressure …

Use Of Photo Isomers To Enhance The Removal Of Lignin From Woody Biomass Hydrolysate, Dipesh J. Karki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this investigation we propose a novel method to enable precipitation of desired solutes using photo-isomers in the extraction solvent. This photo-switchable solvent would enable dissolution or precipitation of desired components using alternating UV or visible light to modify the solubility of the compounds of interest. Three photo-isomers namely native azobenzene, diethoxy azobenzene and diethylamino azobenzene were studied in three different organic solvents: medium chain length alcohol, ethanol and acetone. It was found that among the different combinations of solvent and photo-isomer, acetone and the 4,4’-diethoxy azobenzene solution was most efficient at precipitating dissolved lignin in response to UV light …

Application Of Crystal Engineering In Multicomponent Pharmaceutical Crystals: A Study Of Theory And Practice, Soroush Ahmadi Nasrabadi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Multicomponent crystallization, a prominent strategy in crystal engineering, offers the ability to modify the physicochemical properties of crystals by introducing a secondary component to their lattice structure. Such multicomponent crystals have found widespread application in the pharmaceutical industry. This thesis explores the experimental screening, characterization, application, and theoretical prediction of multicomponent crystals of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs).

The first case study investigates a new solvate of Dasatinib which exhibits high instability at room temperature and transforms into a different polymorph upon desolvation. The crystal structure of this compound is obtained, revealing insights into its transient nature and the potential application …

Gold Thin Film Electrodes For High Sensitivity & Selectivity Electrochemical Detection Of Arsenite In Water, Tybur Q. Casuse Driovínto

Civil Engineering ETDs

This is partial fulfillment of a dissertation defense on electrochemical detection of Arsenic (As) in water using gold (Au) nanofilms as sensing electrodes. The maximum contaminant level of Arsenic in drinking water is set at 10 g L^-1 by the WHO and USEPA. Electrochemical detection by linear stripping voltammetry has comparable detection limits to more expensive laboratory-based methods but with added benefits of being portable and manufacturable. The work has developed sputtered and crystallographically oriented nanofilms for detection of trace As (III). Ultraflat Au(111) oriented thin films, Au(UTF), were compared to single crystal model electrodes to identify the impacts …

Hydrothermal Liquefaction (Htl) Of Lignocellulosic Biomass For Biocrude Production: Reaction Kinetics And Corrosion-Resistance Performance Of Candidate Alloys For Reactors, Haoyu Wang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In recent years, the rapid increase in the demand for clean energy and green chemicals as well as concerns over the supply and environmental impacts associated with fossil. resources have stimulated intensive research on conversion of bioresources, such as lignocellulosic biomass and biowaste, into energy, fuels, chemicals, and materials.

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a unique thermochemical conversion process, particularly applicable for the conversion of wet biomass and biowaste feedstocks. Most of the biomass HTL studies are conducted in batch reactor and focus on the effects of catalysts, reaction temperature and time on production efficiency and chemical properties of the products. …

Exploring Methods For Recycling Filament Waste In 3d Printing, Max Rios Carballo

Publications and Research

The goal of the current study is to investigate cutting-edge techniques for recycling filament waste from 3D printing procedures. Appropriate waste management techniques are required to reduce this trash's harmful environmental consequences. The goal of the project is to look at new methods for recycling filament waste in order to minimize disposal and encourage reuse. To acquire data from pertinent papers and research, a thorough literature review methodology was used. The findings show that this issue may be resolved utilizing a variety of recycling techniques, including shredding, melting, and re-extrusion. The type of filament waste and the intended goal will …

Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Milk Production In The Us, Cailey Cooper

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Life cycle assessment is performed to determine the environmental impacts of the life cycle of a product. In this study, the greenhouse gas emissions from milk production in the United States were calculated using a cradle-to-gate analysis. The dairy industry has a noticeable impact on the total greenhouse gas emissions in the US. Performing life cycle assessment provides information about the main emission sources in the life cycle which can spark innovative changes to reduce these emissions. The life cycle assessment was performed using the openLCA software and ReCiPe impact assessment methodology. The results indicated that 1.28 kg of carbon …

Novel Microdevices To Analyze Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds., Sujoy Halder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been a growing interest to measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a range of environmental applications. The presence of toxic VOCs in the air has been associated with serious health problems including asthma, central nervous system dysfunction, cardiovascular disease and cancer, etc. Different analytical instruments such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and sensor systems, such as metal oxide sensors are used to analyze VOCs. However, challenges still exist in the detection of airborne VOCs because of their trace concentration and interference with complex gas mixtures. In this dissertation, two microfabricated devices, a sensor array and a micropreconcentrator were …

Probing The Structure Of Water On Surfaces: From Water Absorption To Ice Nucleation, Jiarun Zhou

All Dissertations

Water, essential for all life forms, is the most abundant, simple, yet mysterious molecule in the world. This molecule, consisting of only three atoms, behaves in unexpectedly different ways with the change of environment. In the past, studies of water under different conditions (temperature, pressure, on the surfaces, with confinement) have been conducted using experimental and computational methods. However, the influence of a given environment on water properties is yet to be fully understood. This dissertation studies water at complex interfaces (surfaces with various chemistry and physics properties) in both the liquid and crystalline states. Various heterogeneous systems used to …

Synthesis, Property Tuning And Degradation Studies Of Phosphorene-Based Materials., Usman Onuminya Abu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials have sparked the interest of researchers because of their interesting properties drawn from quantum confinement effects, elevated density of states (DOS), increased surface area, increased active sites, etc. Phosphorene, an interesting addition to the 2D material family in 2014, has interesting properties such as in-plane anisotropy, elevated carrier mobility and thickness-dependent bandgaps that have made it a material of intense interest. Furthermore, there have been theoretical studies predicting that phosphorene could be made even more versatile by intercalating alkali atoms into its layers. Intercalation has proven to be a veritable tool for synthesis, modification, transformation, and …

Detection Of Toxic Aldehydes In Aerosols Of Electronic Cigarettes., Ellie Bess Reed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has increased in the younger generations of the United States. With the broad range of flavors and devices distributed on the market, American youth are prime marketing targets for the e-cigarette industry. To create a more regulated market, research of this thesis has been conducted on newer generations of e-cigarette “MOD” devices to examine how e-cigarette battery power output and coil temperature, concentrations of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, added flavorings (strawberry, mango, and menthol), and the presence of nicotine affect generation of aerosol particles and aldehydes in aerosols emitted by …

Comparing Firocoxib And Meloxicam In The Application Of Microneedle Patch For Transdermal Drug Delivery, Ruohan Li

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis compares the performance of meloxicam and firocoxib in the aspects of its physical characteristic, chemical compositions, and in-vitro performances for transdermal pain management microneedle patches on farm animals. The microneedle patches are composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), type I collagen (COL), and chitosan (CHI) as base material that carries NSAIDs to achieve therapeutic purposes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to observe the morphological and physical characteristics of the microneedle patches. Both meloxicam and firocoxib microneedle patches were successfully prepared using the methodology, with organized microneedle distribution and sizing. And Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the chemical …

Polymer Based Energy Storage And Thermal Management On Textile Devices, Wesley A. Viola

Doctoral Dissertations

Humans developed textiles to manage thermal energy transfer with the environment and support homeostasis in a wide range of climates. With the anticipation of wearable technologies to transform healthcare via early, pre-symptomatic detection of illness, there is now a demand for electrical energy storage to support such on-body devices. Finding energy materials to merge seamlessly with textiles is basic requirement to ensure widespread adoption of wearable health monitors. Here we use a vapor deposition process to conformally coat ordinary fabrics with the doped conjugated polymer poly(3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT-Cl), a soft material which possesses electronic and redox capabilities. We demonstrate PEDOT-Cl …